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Best in cargo capacity and fuel economy

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With today's ever changing gas prices, many car buyers are opting to trade cargo space for fuel economy by purchasing a smaller vehicle than they might have otherwise. To help buyers who are looking for cargo capacity and fuel economy, our list below highlights vehicles we've tested that provide the best combination of the two. (Find out how you can compare these cars and get unlimited price reports with the Cars Best Deals Plus.)

In order to get on our list, a vehicle must meet benchmarks that vary depending on vehicle category. The vehicle must have achieved a minimum overall miles-per-gallon (mpg) figure in our real-world fuel economy tests and have a minimum number of cubic feet of cargo capacity, according to our measurements. (For more on saving gas, see our guide to fuel economy.)

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Within groups, vehicles are listed in order of fuel economy; those with identical economy figures are listed in order of cargo volume.

Make & model

Fuel economy
(overall mpg)

Cargo volume
(cu. ft.)

Honda Odyssey EX-L

21

61.5

Toyota Sienna XLE (FWD)

20

70.5

Toyota Sienna XLE (AWD)

19

70.5

Nissan Quest SL

19

62.0

Subaru Forester 2.5i Premium

26

35.5

Mazda CX-5 Touring (2.0L)

25

33.0

Mazda CX-5 Touring (2.5L)

25

33.0

Toyota RAV4 XLE

24

37.0

Honda CR-V EX

23

36.0

BMW X3 xDrive28i

23

33.0

Mitsubishi Outlander SE

23

32.5

BMW X1 xDrive 28i

23

26.0

Buick Encore Leather

23

26.0

Mitsubishi Outlander Sport SE

23

25.5

Subaru Forester 2.5X Premium

22

35.5

Ford Escape SE

22

35.0

Ford Escape Titanium

22

35.0

Mitsubishi Outlander LS (4-cyl.)

22

33.5

Acura RDX

22

31.5

Kia Sportage LX

22

28.0

Jeep Compass Latitude

22

26.5

Hyundai Tucson GLS

22

25.5

Nissan Rogue SL

22

24.5

Audi Q5 Premium Plus

21

32.0

Mercedes-Benz GLK350

21

32.0

Volkswagen Tiguan SEL

21

30.0

Jeep Patriot Latitude

21

29.5

Kia Sportage SX (turbo)

21

28.0

Toyota Highlander Hybrid Limited

27

37.5

Lexus RX450h (Hybrid)

26

33.5

Volkswagen Touareg TDI

24

34.5

Hyundai Santa Fe Sport

23

35.5

BMW X5 xDrive 35d

22

36.0

Ford Edge SEL (4-cyl.)

21

36.5

Chevrolet Equinox 1LT (4-cyl.)

21

33.5

Lexus RX350

21

33.5

Mercedes-Benz GL350 BlueTec

20

47.0

Hyundai Santa Fe GLS

20

40.5

Kia Sorento EX (V6)

20

37.5

Kia Sorento LX (4-cyl)

20

37.5

Acura MDX Tech

20

34.0

Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid

19

52.5

Infiniti JX

19

39.0

Porsche Cayenne (base)

19

33.0

Honda Pilot EX-L

18

48.0

Ford Flex SEL

18

47.5

Toyota 4Runner SR5 (V6)

18

44.5

Ford Explorer XLT

18

42.0

Nissan Pathfinder SL

18

39.5

Mercedes-Benz ML350

18

37.5

Toyota Highlander Limited

18

37.5

Ford Edge SEL (V6)

18

36.5

Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited (V6)

18

36.5

Lincoln MKX

18

36.5

BMW X5 xDrive35i Premium

18

36.0

Chevrolet Equinox LTZ (V6)

18

33.5

Toyota Prius V Three

41

32.0

Volkswagen Golf TDI

38

25.5

Ford C-MAX Hybrid SE

37

28.0

Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI

36

31.5

Nissan Cube

28

28.0

Ford Focus SEL

28

24.5

Volkswagen GTI

27

25.5

Kia Soul Plus

25

24.5

Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited

24

36.5

Volkswagen Golf 2.5

24

25.5

Mazda5 Touring

23

39.0

Scion xB

23

34.0

Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen SE

23

31.5

Audi Allroad Premium

22

28.5

Toyota Venza V6

20

33.0

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